Fledglings
by death-in-the-orchard
Summary: During Abraham Van Hellsing's time: Alucard never allows monotony to enter the man's life, bringing new presences to the Hellsing estate to supply himself with company and to keep them safe.


The crimson clad figure stood out amongst the waving blades of green grass that obscured the bottom of his boots as he walked slowly, parallel to the mansion. Alucard's appearance under the midday sun was a bemusing paradox that halted several men as they strode towards the barracks, a small group of them passing the side of the mansion, keeping with a laid path of stones. One had caught sight of the demon and his abrupt stop ended the others' progress and all gawked, perplexed, not only by the vampire's presence amongst such sunny, and green, conditions, but by the way he would walk for a few paces and then stop and turn as if to wait for another to follow. But he was alone. There was no one that followed the beast to receive his patient gaze or his back when he walked another five yards and then stopped. No. The men squinted and then followed those that began to trample the uncut Spring lawn, venturing closer to the demon and the visible divots in the grass that were trailing the beast.

Alucard stopped once more and glanced behind him, and then watched the hunters. He did not move from his spot as he waited for the men to come.

"Good morning."

The unexpected greeting stunned the men into ending their steps some ways away from the creature. They stared at him, frowning and blinking the sun out of their eyes as they considered the fact that it was well past morning. "What are you doing out here, Vampire?" One man questioned, leaving the others to act as listeners as Alucard watched the speaker and then his audience. The vampire let a pause linger, allowing the bees to hum over the yellow dandelions hidden in the surrounding grass. As the divot began to catch up with the demon and a series of little high pitched, yet somehow flat, sounds began to compete with the humming bees, he moved his foot to obscure the sound and answered.

"I am walking. You're aware that my Master permits walks."

While the speaking hunter frowned deeply, the others were distracted by the approaching sound, directing their eyes to the swaying grass. "What reason does a vampire have to take a 'walk' outside on a cloudless day? Sir Hellsing expects you to stay in your cell at this time…"

Alucard, hearing the growing volume of the sound behind him, cut off the middle-aged hunter and began to stride away from the men, following his own unmarked path through the grass. "I don't know what my Master expects of me at specific times of the day, Human. As long as I don't stray from any of his set rules, he does not mind what I do with my spare time. Now excuse me…I have some business to attend to."

Whatever business a vampire has to take care of, the men didn't care to ask as they stared at the grass and dirt before them, where the vampire had been standing moments before, able to clearly discern the mingling sounds of brushing blades and repetitive chirps. A line of shuffling little brown and yellow ducklings waddled past the men, towards the direction the vampire had taken. Then men were immobilized by mind numbing wonder, their eyes following the baby ducks as they hurried away. But then one of the ducklings plopped onto the ground and sat there, chirping shrilly at the air, jerking its head about. It was sitting directly in front of the group of hunters that stared at it, forcing the vampire to pass through their stares when he quietly returned to pick up the left over duckling, and then carried it away with the other baby ducks following behind him.

The men stood there, unable to speak as they watched the red figure distance itself from them, heading towards the high roofed shed where the estate's horses were kept.

*~*~::..+..::~*~*

Damn this man. Why must he keep his horses here? This is not his land, so why here?

The vampire's face had deadened upon receiving a scent that the wind had brought to him, still making his way to the wooden shed. He met the opened doors and was confronted with the man he damned, who was leaving the shed with the stable hand. John Seward started, a gasp caught between surprise and an outraged growl, splitting his lips so that he gaped at the unwelcomed demon that stood before him. Seward's feature began to twist into a loathing scowl while he hissed at the offensive creature. "What are you doing…?" His demand died off when his eyes settled on the docile little duckling nestled in the demon's red sleeves. The man took a step to the side, along with the stable hand, to peer at the nearing train of birds that were chirping after the motionless vampire. They stared at the ducks and then at the vampire's removed demeanor. Alucard was pretending that they were merely wooden posts as he maneuvered around the frozen men to pass the line of empty and occupied stalls. He reached the last one where a mound of yellow straw climbed up the corner of the shed. Here the vampire eased himself down and lowered the duckling in his arms, causing it to chirp once before he had it situated in a modest make-shift nest.

As the other little ducklings arrived and the beast helped them into the straw where they then waddled and chirped to bury themselves in his clothes, Seward and the man that tended the horses came to the pile of straw.

"That's the bedding for the horses." The dull eyes of the unnamed man were the focus of a red glare for a moment before Alucard continued with his work.

"Now it's bedding for the fledglings." To make his point, he dug out a deeper nest and shifted the straggling birds into it, gathering all of the ducklings into the straw. A little brown mouse darted from the yellow pile, distracting the men and the vampire as the brown shape was seen nimbly running through a space in the next stall, to disappear instantly.

"They'll ruin the bedding."

Alucard growled a sigh and glowered at the man that did not realize that he was in a relatively dangerous situation. "The horses don't need it. It's Spring. The weather is warm both night and day. They can do without and no harm will come to them." The stubborn mule of a man began to protest again when the demon snarled his lips, showing his elongated fangs, frightening the stable hand into retreating, tripping on a metal pail when his foot stepped into it. He struggled to get his boot free until Alucard's voice paralyzed him. "Can you understand this then, to make this quite simple...? If you allow any of Hellsing's dogs to eat these fledglings, I will, in return, eat you. If anything else befalls these fledglings, I will maul your pathetic, human body…do you understand now?"

The man stared with wide empty eyes before he had the mind to flee, running with an awkward, limping, stagger as the bucket refused to leave his foot. The man was gone, so only John Seward was left with the beast and his chirping nest of ducklings.

Alucard curled up in the straw, around the bobbing billed heads, the side of his face was on one arm while the other arm went to protectively circle the other side of the birds, but a weight that slipped to find itself seated by his shoulder blades, stopped the vampire, and he had to lift himself up to retrieve the duckling behind him, setting it down amongst the others that had spilled forward to fill the place on the yellow straw where the demon had been lying. Alucard patiently pushed the feathered creatures back so that he could reclaim his spot and then encircled his arms around the ducklings to make sure none of them would escape. With closed eyes, Alucard appeared to be sleeping for a moment, so the ducklings took this chance to attack the black bangs that hung over some of their heads, nibbling at the strands fiercely. Alucard did not stop them until they began to yank at his hair, threatening to pull it clear from its roots. When he was swiping his hair back, away from the baby ducks, he spied Seward's contemplative expression. Dead lips curved downward at the man and the arms moved around the birds.

"What do you need, John Seward?"

The man continued to watch the demon, looking him straight in the eye now. "What are you doing?"

Irritated red glowed slightly, like a hearth blown upon by the wind. "I'm busy, Seward. You have eyes, I'd think that you would be able to deduce what is going on and then leave me to my privacy."

"You stole these ducklings from their nest?"

Alucard exhaled a sharp huff that sent a few pieces of light straw flying. "Try again."

The man's brow hitched at this and he blinked. "You've adopted them?"

The beast did not respond, though he did close his eyes and settle his face peacefully beside some of the ducklings, which were now relatively quiet. A curious dark bill bit his ear, but the vampire let the bird tire of this game on its own, never moving from his position.

"The straw is meant for my horses as well, Vampire."

"To hell with your pampered beasts…I've kept hundreds of horses. They don't need more straw. They don't even need the bedding that they already have. It's a waste…it's shucked out every day with the stalls."

Alucard kept his eyes closed while the only part of him that moved was his mouth when he spoke. Seward watched the vampire and his fledglings for a time, and then left to join Van Hellsing for a midday meal, as had been the arrangement with regards to keeping his horses at the man's mansion. Twice a month he visited the widower, sometimes exercising his horses himself, or riding with Hellsing in the well-beaten forest paths.

*~*~::..+..::~*~*

Abraham Van Hellsing calmly observed the strangely heartwarming scene, a deadly monster curled protectively beside a nest of wild ducklings, the golden straw shadowed as the angle of the sun's pouring rays failed to reach it where it was placed beneath an open window. The lowered star sent shadows to fall far behind those that cast them, including Sir Hellsing as he stood in the stable. It was rather old and musty smelling, mostly empty and purposeless, but as it had come with the property, Abraham had seen to putting it to some use. Now, he saw that its expenses were well worth the extra responsibility as he was permitted to witness such an odd vision of tranquility.

He stepped closer, until he was looking down at his slave, counting the sleeping or lazily playing ducklings. A mixture of brown and yellow feathers coloring their faces, a few watched the man while other continued to nibble at each other's stubby wings. When the man crouched and then kneeled down, lifting an ungloved hand and moving it carefully in their direction, the nest erupted in a cacophony of chirps and rustling straw, opening red eyes that found blue in the man's face. Alucard let his master touch his hair and then leave it to stroke the ducklings that had stood, coaxing them to sit and rest again. They continued to chirp at intervals, but they were gradually calming as the gentle hand moved amongst their number. Scarlet watched the hand, flicking to the mortal's face at times to find the man's thoughts.

So he was not going to take them away, Alucard thought as he closed his eyes to pass into a state of sleep. Abraham did not disturb the beast when he sat in the clean straw to pet the baby ducks. Time carried the sun along its path through the sky, hindered by the consistency of the position of the solar system, while Alucard and his master were permitted to do as they liked, unshackled by anything related to a daily pattern.

Abraham took a bird into his lap and touched it softly. "Your fledglings?" The man asked quietly, having found the amusing connection. Alucard did not change, but he answered after a moment.

"For now."

Abraham continued to stroke the duckling as he breathed steadily. Then, under the influence of such comfort, he too laid down in the straw, shifting the duckling to his chest, and he closed his eyes to indulge in a short nap.


End file.
